Melinda Gates meets and appreciates Narendra Modi’s pro-poor initiatives

Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and appreciated his pro-poor initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, an official said.

New Delhi, April 20: Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and appreciated his pro-poor initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, an official said.  Melinda Gates, who made a courtesy call, “appreciated the prime minister’s pro-poor initiatives, especially with regard to ‘Swachh Bharat’ and ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana’,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

On the other hand, A combative Rahul Gandhi here on Monday mounted his second successive attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi since returning from leave of absence, accusing his “suit boot” and “acche din” government of working for corporates and forgetting farmers. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, however, rubbished the Congress vice-president’s allegations, reminding him that it was due to the difference in its “words and deeds” in the past that his party was today sitting in the opposition.

Attacking the Modi government on issues concerning farmers in his over 20-minute speech in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on agrarian situation in the country, Rahul Gandhi said “acche-din government has failed the country”. He advised Modi to visit the farmers to empathise with them in their distress caused by loss of crops due to unseasonal rains.

Earlier in the day, the government tabled the re-promulgated land ordinance in the house amid protests. The Congress and Trinamool Congress staged a walkout over the issue. Congress president Sonia Gandhi later in the day met farmers at her residence to listen to their concerns about the new land bill. As she was not present in the Lok Sabha when Rahul Gandhi spoke, Sonia Gandhi later said she was told he gave a good speech.

Rahul Gandhi, who took part in the discussion for the first time in this budget session, spoke in the tone and tenor of a combative leader to attack the Modi government, as he did at the farmers’ rally at Ramlila Ground here on Sunday. Though Rahul Gandhi’s party colleagues sought to shield him from repeated interruptions from Bharatiya Janata Party members, he stood up and countered the barbs thrown at him with his arguments. Rahul Gandhi made repeated attacks on the government, saying it was “hurting” about 60 percent of the people who were dependent on agriculture.

“One thing is clear, your government is ignoring problems of farmers, not listening to labourers. It is government of industrialists. We know this, you also know it… Your government is of big people. It is suit-boot government,” he said, in a reference to Modi’s suit worn during visit of US Barack Obama which was later auctioned.